News centre

VIENNA, 30 September 2011 – The implementation of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) was the focus of a workshop that ended at the headquarters of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) today.

Recognizing the growing role UNIDO has been playing in recent debates on the potential benefits of an increased local manufacture of essential medicines in developing countries for both public health and industrial development outcomes, the African Union Commission had formally sought UNIDO to act in partnership for developing the PMPA The Plan was originally endorsed by AU Heads of State in 2007.

The ten-day workshop was organized together with the African Union Commission (AUC). It helped develop a common approach to the promotion of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Africa and finalize a concept paper.

“The workshop laid the foundation for a common understanding of the challenges we face in implementing a plan to manufacture pharmaceuticals in Africa. This is an important precondition for the common path that we are embarking on,” said the Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Division at the African Union Commission, Ademola Olajide. He discussed the plan with UNIDO Director-General Kandeh K. Yumkella.

The UNIDO-AUC collaboration will initially focus on the formulation of a PMPA ‘business plan’ for adoption by AU policy makers in mid-2012 with the objective of moving rapidly to an implementation of the approach over an extended period likely to be at least five years.

The business plan will include a technical cooperation component to support individual countries in developing their pharmaceutical industries to positively influence access to medicines as well as to add to economic growth. Other partners such as WHO, UNAIDS, USP and other relevant entities will be invited to participate in the formulation and ultimately implementation of this work.

To download the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, click here